Charity walk for Ely couple whose infant son was diagnosed with eye cancer

13:02 28 September 2012

AN Ely couple took part in a 15-mile Carrots Nightwalk through London to raise funds for a charity which helped their two-year-old son Alexander after he was diagnosed with eye cancer when he was just a few months old.

Christina Rozeik, 36, and Tom Sutch, 33, were hoping to raise more than £1,200 for the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT) from the event held on Friday. The Carrots Nightwalk was organised by Fight for Sight and several eye-related charities - including CHECT - signed up to be partners in the walk.

The money raised will go towards a research fund for retinoblastoma.

Christina said: “After Alexander was diagnosed we wanted to do something to help other children in the future. The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust is the only organisation in the UK which solely funds research projects into retinoblastoma so this felt like the perfect opportunity.”

The CHECT walkers will be joined by blind Paralympian Darren Harris, who is also a patron of the charity and was diagnosed with retinoblastoma himself as a young boy.

Joy Felgate, chief executive of CHECT, said: “We are really grateful to everyone who has committed to this walk - 15 miles overnight is no easy challenge but our walkers can rest assured that every penny they raise will go a long way towards helping children with retinoblastoma.”

Retinoblastoma is a rare eye cancer which mainly affects children under the age of six but can have life-long consequences, including blindness.